Baby murdered after adoptive parents forced to return him to biological mom

There are just some sick people out there who shouldn't ever be parents. This holds even truer after 4-month-old baby Gabriel McFarland, who was adopted by Heidi and Rachel McFarland, died after being returned to his biological parents. The parents in question are 17-year-old Drew JamesWheeler-Smith and 16-year-old Markeya Atkins of Iowa. The father is being accused of causing the infant internal head trauma while under his care.

The incident occurred on April 22 after Atkins left the baby with Wheeler-Smith because she needed to run errands. Unfortunately, leaving him in his father's hands wasn't the best idea she had ...

Everything seemed fine when Atkins left, until her friend, Siobhan Williams, claims she briefly dropped by the mom's apartment and saw Wheeler-Smith holding the baby. Shortly after, the mother told her friend to stay with the baby and father when she caught him driving off without Gabriel in tow. That's when she reached out to the mom to let her know of the horrific discovery she had made and called police.

Atkins returned home and found little Gabriel dead and foaming at the mouth in his glider chair. When police questioned Wheeler-Smith he said he left the baby uninjured, but investigation proved that the baby had injuries. The teen father was originally facing neglect charges, but now is being charged as an adult with first-degree murder and child-endangerment. If he is found guilty, he is at risk of spending life in prison.

There is no word if the baby's mother will be facing charges, but police say he had been living with her for about a month after he was returned to her from his adoptive parents. The teen mom never finalized the adoption papers which is why she still had access to him. The McFarlands weren't even notified by police or the teens themselves of the baby's death and instead found out on the news! A sad Rachel said, "I actually never got to say good-bye."

This is so heart-wrenching! I can't believe that this father couldn't even properly care for this baby for a short time. It disgusts me that he tried to weasel his way out of it and lied to police in the process. I understand that the couple may have become parents sooner than they wanted, but once you assume the role, you have to be responsible. It's a decision you make together to raise another life and clearly they were incapable of it if Gabriel was adopted originally. I hope Wheeler-Smith is convicted and is forced to learn his lesson after killing his own child.